The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-06-29
BUTLER AND The FLAGS.
The Proposed Return OF Captured
Rebel Banners Severely Criti-
cised by Gen. Butler.
Boston special. I

Boston special
The first dinner of the famous Butler
Club was held Saturday afternoon. OF
course the General was there, the central
hgure for an admiring remnant of the peo-
pies party of 1884, with goodly sprinkling
of the warriors in his previous campaigns.
Seventy-six Butterflies in all marched in to
dinner. Butler, very naturally, was the
principal speaker, and no one paid much
attention to what others said, although Col.
Plympton's definition of the simon pure
Butler man woke up the boys. Here GRE
thAtraits of the Butler man as defined by the
Colonel: Decided and aggressive views on
all questions; personal loyalty and devo-
ton to the grand old man; contempt for
cant and pharisaism in anything; loyalty to
the principles of the republican form of
government and the right of the people to
rule; opposition TO whatever threatens this,
even if it comes in the name of reform or
that Chinese exotic, civil-service reform;
belief that, If the government is Repub-
lican, it shall be Republican from stem to
stern, and, if Democratic, from center to
circumference"
Then Butler spoke, and he could not
allow the le-hag episode to pass with
out mention. In fact, he made 1t the bur-
den of his speech and the text for violent
attack upon the Cleveland administration.
"For one, he said, Il think an event has
happened within the past few days of
greater moment and significance to the
country, viewed not only as matter OF
craftsmanship but of loyalty and true
American feeling. than any since the days
of '65. refer TO the attempt, If so much
it was, to take away from the archives OF
the Government the evidence of the vic
tories of our soldiers in arms when they
ifescued the country. / have looked care
fully to see the reasons for which 1t was at
tempted to be DONE and also to glance
carefully into the reasons why it should not
be done. / have looked also for the pre-
cedent why it should be done, and l find
there is none except that some of the
Northern States, when they have learned
that one of their own battle flags which
had been lost by the fortunes of war had
been captured, had asked that such flag
might be returned 10 them. And / see no
xeason why it should not be done. But it
affords in my mind no precedent for the
action that was attempted to be taken.
Then l find that one of the Cabi-
net officers that comes from Massachu-
sets. 10 my utter establishment, Endorsed
the order. For HIM Lave the highest per-
sonal respect. But how be, as u lawyer,
-conld have recommended such thing is
utterly beyond my comprehension. l could
not believe it until l had seen the indorse
ment upon the letter as published by the
Adjutant General. Now, mark me, do not
at all blame the President for doing this.
Where could he have gotten the knowledge
in his former life not to do it? 1t was not
his fault, but it was his misfortune, that
he did not know anything upon the subject
He acted according to the light he had,
1. IL, Ill
him any more. | speak in no spirit of Bit
terness; 1 have none for him. speak, /
trust, in behalf of the soldiers of the war
upon this question. Read the lettor of
Fitzhugh Lee, Governor of Virginia, which
he closes by saying, when speaking of these
flags: If any man tears down the Amer
lean flag, let him be shot on the spot.
That he said last week. If he mad issued
that order years ago he would have had to
execute it by blowing his own brains out.
This shows how much times have
changed. There is no danger of anybody
i. hauling down the American flag. But We
see there has been danger that the trophies
of our victories shall be given up. / see
Gov. Lee says those flags are of no conse-
quence now. Very we'll, let them alone,
then, they are safe where they are. oh,
he saws, we are all one government.
Well, that government has got them; let 1t
Keep them. There is no occasion to send
them to various governments. oh, but,
they say, we must give them up and send
them away because they were won in war
between fellow citizens. If you will 90
up to the State House you will find in
Doric Hall two brass cannon, trophies
of war, standing there, captured from
Burgoyne in a war between fellow citizens.
Why haven't they been sent back? Why
aren't the old drum, the old gun
the old helmet that hung over the door OF
the Senate chamber as emblems of what
our fathers under Stark did at Bennington
in battle between fellow citizens to be
sent back to England? And l am afraid
that somebody will propose it in this year
of jubilee, and some mutton chop
whiskered politician may think he can win
recognition in England by moving such q
proposition; and, for one, want to speak
In advance. We have sent back to the
South pretty much all that we got from
them. We have given them back all that
we took from them in cotton, under laws
don't complain of that at all. There is
no sentiment there. But we must stol
somewhere in this giving up everything
that belongs to the war. For, if we return
our flags captured from them, / think the
next thing they will ask will be that we re-
turn the slaves captured from them.
propose to stop at flags, here and now"